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Football

St Etienne midfielder Augusto Fernandez admits tomorrow's clash at Le Mans is a game they must win "at any price".

The visitors sit four points above the relegation zone and victory over second bottom Le Mans could put even more daylight between themselves and the bottom three.

Defeat, however, would lift Le Mans to within two points of Alain Perrin's team.

St Etienne have lost four of their last five games in the league, including last weekend at home to Lorient, and Fernandez knows they cannot afford to make it five defeats out of six tomorrow.

"It's a very important match for us all," the Argentinian told the club's official website. "We must get back to winning ways.

"This is a match that we have to win at any price. It is a match that we have to play as a final. Le Mans are our direct rivals."

Fernandez is well aware, though, his team will have to rise to the challenge.

He said: "In life there are sometimes difficult moments. We must not show signs of weakness, we must fight.

"Now we must look ahead. If we think about the matches that have gone, we will not progress. We have to focus on one thing: win so we can be more calm."

And despite St Etienne's poor run of results, Le Mans' own dismal form offers plenty of reasons for optimism.

The hosts are yet to pick up a point in November and have scored just once in their last four games, in a 2-1 loss at Rennes last time out.

But visiting boss Perrin knows they will be anything but a pushover.

"Le Mans, who are better than their position indicates, are also in need of the points" he said.

"They are an athletic and combative team, and they will be very alert mentally."

St Etienne will be without Dimitri Payet, Boubacar Sanogo, Loic Perrin, Malick Faye and Moustapha Bayal through injury, while Blaise Matuidi and Christophe Landrin will undergo late fitness tests.